Valve mechanism for air-compressors.



C. DAY & G. E. WINDELER.

VALVE MEoHANIsM PoR AIR ooMPRBssoRs.

APPLICATION FILB D JUNE 13, 1912. 1,088,264, Patented Feb. 24, 191.4.

ORA/EY Y CHARLES 0m. 'i WIA/0.51549. YM

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE;

cHARLEs DAY AND GEORGE E.WINDELER, 0E sTocKPoRT, ENGLAND, AssIGNoas To GENERAL ELECTRIC coMPANY, A CQRPDRATION or NEW YORK VALVE MECHANISM FOR AIR-COMPRESSORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 24, 1914.

Application lfiled June 13, 1912. Serial No. 703,392.

.by they are rendered silent, simple in construction and more effective in their action.

For a consideration of what we believe to be novel and lour invention attention is directed to theaccompanying description and claims appended thereto.

"ing miisidsialilv l that of the high pr.

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates one of the embodiments of our invention, Figure 1, is a view in side elevation of a two stage air compressor; Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the high pressure suction and `delivery valves and casings; Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the atmospheric suction valves and their casing; Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the low pressure delivery valves and their casing; Figs. 5 and 6 are sectional and plan views of a high pressure disk valve; Figs. 7 and 8 are sectional and plan views of high pressure valve seats; Figs. 9 and l() are sectional and plan views of a low pressure valve seat; Figs. 11 and 12 are sectional andplan views of a low pressure delivery valve stop; Figs. 13 and 14 are sectional and plan views of a low pressure suction valve stop; Figs. l5 and 16 are sectional and plan views of a low pressure delivery valve, and Figs. 1T and 18 are sectional and plan views o l. a low pressure valve seat.

In Fig. 1 shown a two stage compressor arranged to deliver ai r at about 1000 pounds pressure per square inch. lt is adapted chiefly for supplying fuel in the form of oil to high compression internal combustion engines, and for supplying startingair there-l to, although it can be used for other pur- .al el the low pressure stage heY wel in diameter tha ure stage. ,-\ir is adnitted 'to the ha" pressure cylinder by valve lncans located in the casing 22 and is decylinder livered by valve means located in the casing 23. At the upper end of the coinpressor 1s a casing 24- containing a suction valve means that receives air from the valve caslng 23 after it has passed through an intercooler, and also a delivery or discharge valve.

It Will be observed that the suction or inlet valves and the delivery valves of the low pressure cylinder are situated substantially in the plane of division between the cylinders. The advantage of this resides in the fact that short passages can he employed and that the cooling chamber of the delivery valve may receive its supply of cooling water directly from the water jacket of the cylinder or cylinders. The high pressure valves are located at the top of the cylinder and open directly into the cylinder thereby avoiding all passages between except such as are in the valve parts.

It is a serious problem to make the valves of a high pressure air compressor operate silently and at the same time effectively, and especially if the compressor is driven at a fairly high speed. It is also a difficult matter to make the valves and their seats stand up under the hard service to which they are subjected. The purely mechanical features are sufficiently complex of themselves but in addition to this the relatively high temperatures of the compressed air must be taken into account, also the carbon deposit due to thelubricating oil used on the pistons. XVe have solved this problem by using thin disk valves made out of a tough and preferably hard metal which are carefully ground or finished to size as are also their cooperating seats and stops or' motion-limiting devices. By preference the movement of these valves in opening and closingr is limited te a-very small amount. As an example.y if the best results are to be obtained, the total valve movement should not exceed in amount the thickness of the valve itself.

Referring to Fig. 3, 22 indicates the ad mission valve casing. It is bored centrally to receive the upper and lower spring hold ers and valve receiving members or ,stops 25 which engage opposite sides of internal shoulders 26, said holders being slipped into position from opposite ends of the bore. \l',-ovc and below the hclders (that is. at the @de of cach remote from the other) are valve seats 2T of the character best shown in Figs. 9 and lO. Each seat is formed on the lower securing the holder in place, a series of radial openings 30, a large axial opening 31, and small axial holes 32 with which it communicates. The cover'33 rests onand forces the lug and spring holder and valve stop firm y into place. As an additional means for vsecuring a pressure tight joint between the plug and holder, a soft copper washer 34 is located between them. It w11] be noted that the end of the plug carrying the valve seat 27 projects into the member 25 forming the valve stop and said parts are therefore i' interlocked or intermeshed. The openings,

holes or ports 30, 31 and 32 receive air from a chamber that surrounds the plug and communicate with the passagel 35 leading through the casing to the atmosphere. This arrangement is duplicated at the bottom so that a large amount of air `will be admitted to the compressor cylinder, The admission of air is controlled by a rotatable throttle valve 36 which is mounted on a screw threaded stud 37. A wing nut is employed to hold the valve in any given position. By moving this valve toward or away from its seat the total amount of air passing through the compressor can readily be varied. In other words, it formsa very simple and reliable governing means.

Fi s. 11 and 12 show the spring holders whic also act as valve stops. Each holder is made in a single piece and is provided externally with a beveled face that engages the shoulder 26 in the valve casing and an annular centering enlargement or fiange `at or near the upper end. It is provided with a plurality of axial holes, passages or ports 38 through which the air passes on its way to the port 39 that communicates with the.v low pressure cylinder. It is also provide@ with a cylindrical chamber 40 which con-e nects all of the passages 38, receives the projection on the plug carrying the low pressure valve seat 27, forms a chamber for the disk valve 39, and also acts as a stop to limit its opening movement. The holder is also counterbored at 40a to receive the coiled compression spring 41 which normally holds the valve against its seat. Although springs are shown in connection with these valves, in a great many cases they will be found unnecessary. Where they are required the arrangement shown will be found satisfactory The valve itself is made in the form of a. thin hard disk which is carefully ground until both of its faces are true and parallel to each other. The seats 27 are also ground and should be perpendicular to the axes of the valves. The amount of valve movement is small so that the pounding effect of the valves is reduced to a small value. Said' elect in any Vevent is small because the mass of the valve is small. The surface of the stop should be flat and parallelwith the seat so that all parts of the valve will move a uniform distance therefrom. The arrangement of the valves and the-*supply ports 38 is important. The air shoul be delivered to the valve over a wide area so as not to cause undue restriction, and on the -to have access to the under side of the valve and close it.' The valve as before stated can be actuated solely by pressure changes or it may be aided by the spring to move in one direction. -The disk valve 1s provided with a central opening 45 which, although not utilized in the present valve, is necessary in the low pressure delivery valve as will b e seen later.- It is preferable te make these two valves interchangeable,` and for this reason the hole is provided. The holder 25 is also provided with a tapped hole 46, Fig. 11, to receive a tool, by means of which it can be pulled out of the casing when necessary. As the piston of the compressor descends on its suction stroke, a suction is created that moves both of the valves olf of their seats against the llight op osin forces due to the springs. Air then ows rom the inlet past' the valve 36 into the passages 35, 31 and 32, around the outer edge of the valve into the passages 38 and port 39 to the low pressure cylinder. When thel piston starts on its compression stroke the suction eiect ceases and the reversed pressure and the springs 41 close the valves and the air contained in the cylinder is compressed to the end of the stroke, when it is delivered by the discharge valves to the intercooler or to the high pressurc cylinder as desired.

In Fig. 4 is shown the low pressure delivery valve. 23 indicates the casing which is provided with cooling chambers 47 that are connected to the cooling system of the air compressorcylinder or cylinders. The casing is bored axially, and in the central portion thereof is a ring shaped mengber 48 that is'prrovided with beveled surfaces on opposite sides to receive the valve securing members or seats 49. Two of these seats are used and are ofthe construction best lshown in Figs. 17 and 18. Eachv seat` has a beveled Aperipheral shoulder 50 which rests on the beveled surface of the ring member 48.; It 1s provided with a plurality of holes or passages 51 through which the air Hows. AThe valve seats are cut away on their adjacent sides at 52 so that when they are mounted in place an annular chamber is formed to which air enters from the port 54, the latter beingconnected with and receiving air from the low pressure cylinder of the compressor. As an illustration, the air admitted to the valve casing may be under a pressure of 90 pounds per square inch. The seats are` or may be` hardened to reduce wear, are ground true and are carefully finished on their peripheries, so that when located in their proper positions the seats will be parallel to each other and their axes will coincide. Each seat has a screw threaded opening 55 to receive a means for removing it. The seats are inserted in place from opposite ends of the easing, and each is held in position by the valve receiving member or stop 56 at the side thereof remote from the other, Figs. 13 and 14. The valve stop has a small circular projection 57 formed on the same side as the valve seat and has a flat surface that engages the central portion of said seat to hold it in place. The projet-tion extends through the hole 58 in the disk valve and acts as a guide to direct its axial movements and also to prevent it from moving sidewise. The stop is also provided ith means, such as the holes 59, to prevent air from being trapped in back of the valve and acting to unduly cushion its opening movements. These holes also permit air to have access to the valve on its discharge side to close it, thereby doing away with all springs. The holes also serve to break any oil tilm which might otherwise tend to hold the valve open. The stop is also provided with a screw threaded opening (i0 to receive a removing tool. As before stated the valve receiving member or scat 4S) is seated on thering member 4S and the stop 5G engages the valve seat. The stop is held in plat:I by a screw (31 that is threaded into the head (12 of the valve casing. The end rt' the screw is rounded and the tip end thereof slightly enters the screw hole 6() which 'forms a seat to hold the stop against sidewise movement. It will thus be seen that one device, 2', e., the bolt, has the function of holdingtheseat,thestop andtheval've. I`he screw 1s provided with a lock nut G3 and between its end aud the head is a soft copper washer 64 to make an air-.tight joint at this point. The head (i2 may also be provided with asimilar washer between it and the casing. ln any event this joint must be airtight. Air enters the casing by the pei-t 5t which communicates with the chatnber 5I. between the .seats and passes therefrom through the holes or passages 51 past the disk valves 39 and thence to the discharge pipe G4 leading directly or indirectly to the high pressure suction valve. On the discharge stroke the valves are raised from their seats by the air delivered by the low pressure piston of the compressor and on the suction stroke of the piston the air on the discharge side causes them to close. It will thus be seen' that all springs are done away with. which makes for simplicity and reliability in operation and reduces the cost of manufacture and operation. The .same advantages as to silence and absence of pounding apply to these valves as to those shown in Fig.

Referring now to Fig. 2, 24, indicates the casing of the high pressure valves. lt is provided with a cooling chamber (55 that receives water from any suitable source. It is also provided with two openings7 in the present instance, to receive 'alve casings. lVhere the volume of air to be handled is greater, a greater number'of valves and casings may be employed. 66 indicates lthe high pressure delivery valve receiving member which forms the valve seat. 1t is slightly cored at its lower side or end to make a good fit with a similarly shaped opening or shoulder in the valve casing. The details of this seat are best shown in Figs. T and 8. The seat is provided with a flat ground surface (S7 to receive the valve, and also with axial passages, openings or ports 68 through which the air flows directly from the high pressure cylinder of the compressor. The upper side -or surface is provided with an annular grotwe (it) and a small V- shaped groove T0. The seat is also provided with a s'crew threaded opening to receive a tool for removing it. Tl indicates the high pressure valve receiving member which forms the stop or cover; it is tubular in form and provided with anannular projection T2 that fits into the groove (it). Fig. T. Between the bottom of the groove and the end of the projection is a soft copper washer that is pressed into the V-shapcd groove T0 to make an air-tight joint. The valve T2 is of the disk type heretofore dcscribcd and is illustrated in section' and plan in Figs. 5 and 6. The outer end of the valve cover is somewhat enlarged and provided with a groove containing a copper washer. Mounted on the end of Athe cover is a head T3 having a projection that fits into the groove. The head is secured in place by stud bolts 74. The head is also srrewthreaded to receive a nut which holds the air conveying pipe in place.

In operation, the compression stroke of the piston raises the valve from its seat and exposes the ports 68. Air rushes through these openings and is discharged through the central opening in the valve 72, the port 85 in the cover registering with said opening. In the cover are ports @o that assist in closing the valve on theisut-tion stroke in the manner referred to in connection with ports 59 of Figs. 4, 13 and l-l. The suction valve is of the same construction as the delivery valve and is interchangeable therewith. In this case, however, the valve receiving member 76 which serves as the valve seat is formedfo'n the tubular member 77, the latter being provided with ports or passages 78. The valve receiving member which serves as the stop is formed by the plug 7 9 which makes a taper fit with a shoulder of the casing. It is provided with ports q or passages 80 that communicate with the high pressure cylinder. To avoid any mistake in assembling the parts, the delivery valve seat 66 and the suction plug or stop 79 are made of dissimilar lengths. The parts are held in position by the same means used afor holding the delivery valve. This arrangement has the advantage that the openings in the casing 24 can be of the same diameter and hence the same tools can be used for forming them. Also that the heads 73. securing studs, etc., can be made in quantities and kept in stock. In so far as it is possible the parts are made interchangeable to save expense. All parts are made to exact size so that new parts can be supplied to take the place of old with the certainty that they will lit. The air delivered by the valve 72 is under high pressure, say 1000 pounds per square inch as an y example. This means that all of the joints must be very carefully made and that the parts sh ld be cooled as fully as possible to prevent verheating and hence destruction. As before. stated the valves and their seats and stops must be made with the greatest care, all of the coperating surfaces being ground or otherwise finished true and maintained in fixed parallel relation to each other if the best results are to be obtained. Owing to the very small mass of the valves and to the very small movement thereof their life will be long, and the noise made by them in opening and closing will be so small as to be negligible.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes. we have set forth what we believe to represent the best embodiment of our invention; but it is to be understood that the drawing is only illustrative and that our invention can be carried out by other means. v

What we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States 1s:-

1. The combination of a casin havin a generally 'cylindrical abore wit annu ar shoulders near its middle and an opening between said shoulders, valve receiving members on said shoulders with the space between them in communication with said opening, each of said members having annularly arranged openings extending in opposite directions from said space, an additional valve receiving member at the side of each of those aforesaid remote from the other, means acting through each of the latter valve receiving members to keep the firstmentioned members in place, there being means of communication between the side of each of the first-mentioned valve receiving members remote from the other and the exterior of the casing, and valvedisks between the valve receiving members secured against each shoulder as aforesaid.

2. The combination of a casing having a generally cylindrical bore with an annular shoulder and an opening at one side of said shoulder; a valve receiving member mounted in said bore on said shoulder; another valve receiving member mounted in said casing against the end of the first; and a cover at the end of said casing bearing upon said latter member and serving to secure the members in place, each of said members having annularly arranged openings therethrough and the member adjacent the cover having at itsside remote from the cov,erf'a portion extending into a bore in the othier, said portion having a nished surface to serve as a valve seat, and said member mounted on the shoulder of the casing having a central space within it for containing .a compression spring; a disk valve arranged between said members; and a compression spring in said central space which acts to urge said valve against the seat. 3. The combination of a casing having a generally cylindrical bore with an annular shoulder and an opening at one side of said shoulder; a valve receiving member mounted in said bore at the other side of said shoulder; another valve receiving member mounted in said bore against the other end of said first-mentioned member; a cover for the corresponding end of said bore which bears upon said last-mentioned member aud so holds both members in place, said lastmentioned member having at its side remote from the cover a portion extending into a depression in the adjacent side of said first-mentioned member with its `surface finished to form a valve seat, there being a space between said seat and the adjacent surface of said first-mentioned member and annularly arranged ports in both said members opening in opposite directions from the said space, the ports in the first of said members communicating with the opening in the casing aforesaid, and said second vmember having a central opening or space and a peripheral groove and ports through its wall from said groove into said central space, and a passage in peripheral groove to the exterior thereof.

4. In a Huid controlling valve, the combination of a casing having a generall cylindrical bore with an annular shoulder; a valve receiving member on said shoulder; an additional valve receiving'member in said said casing leading from said bore at the side of said first member remote from said shoulder; a part secured to said casing and bearing upon the second member aforesaid whereby both members are held in place, said second member having a central.y

space in it which is in communication with passage means for the fluid controlled by the valve, one of said members having a central depression and the other of said members having a portion extending thereinto 'With its surface finished to form a valve seat, and there being a space between said seatl and the adjaoent surface of the other member and annularly arranged ports extending through the members to said space; and a 15 valve disk in the space aforesaid between said members.

In Witness whereof We have hereunto set our hands and seals this 23rd day of May, 1912.

CHARLES DAY. [1.. 5.] GEORGE E. WINDELER. [1.. s] Witnesses:

ALEX. F. MACDONALD, JOHN D. GrLL.

Copies ot this patent may be obtained tor ive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

' Washington, D. C."

v@mention in Letters Patent Ne. 110%18264.

and annularly arranged' ports extending through the members tov said space; and a 15 valve disk in the space aforesaid between said members.

In witness whereof we havehereunto set our hands and seals this 23rd. day of May, 1912.' v

CHARLES DAY. [11s.] GEORGE E. WINDELER. [11s.]

Witnesses:

ALEX. F. MACDONALD, JOHN D. GILL.

copies ot this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C."

lingland vForV an ilnnroven'lent in 'for the Word sec\1rin;j"

the case inthe Patent Milice.'-

Sig-nell and sealed this 21th lss-:Ati

lt. is herebx7 certified that in Letters appears in the printed .specification requ read manima/h' Patent No. 1,088,264, granted yFebruary 24, 11414,' upon the application ol' Charles Day and George E. Wilndeler, of Stockport, l I v Valve Mechanism for Airompressors, an error iring Correction follows: Page 2, line 1%,

and that the said-Letters Patent. should he read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record ot da); of MamhQA. n., 1914.

J. 'l`. N ENVOS.

loting (jwmm'saone'r of Patent.

Correction n Letters Patent Nm 1,088,264.

lt i lwfrrhv rnl'tlilied that in lmmr Patent No. l,ll88,64, gmnted lfuhrnar) 24, LAM` upnn bhe appl'naton nl Charla Day und George F.. Windeler. of Stuckpoll, l'lngluud, for an nnpmwment in Ynlvr Mechanism for* Air-Compressors," an error appzu inn th` printed spnvicntmn I'vrluix'ing torlection ns follows'. Page L hn@ l. fm' thv worrl svcnrng5`- marl ren'im'ng; und that. the sadlhtters Patent should he rend with ihk correction thuwn that the same may conform to the rel-0rd uf tlm ense in the lntunt, Ullicc.

lgnell :unl sealed th l 24th day nl' March, A. l.. W14. 

